Cleveland Man Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining Telephones and Other Cellular Telephone Equipment

A federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned an indictment against Jonathan Matthew Groth, 33, charging him with one count of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment alleges that, from 2004 through September 2006, Groth used his position as an employee of Verizon Wireless to fraudulently obtained telephones and other cellular telephone equipment. The indictment alleges further that Groth and then posted or caused those items to be posted on eBay, an internet auction website. The indictment also further charges that Groth, after receiving payment for those items via the Internet website PayPal, sent the items to he purchasers via the U.S. mail or other private or commercial interstate carrier. The indictment alleges further that Groth’s conduct caused Verizon Wireless to suffer a loss of greater than approximately $125,000.

If convicted, Groth’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including Groth’s prior criminal record, if any, Groth’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bridget M. Brennan after an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Canton Field Office.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.